The University of Maryland (UMD) has named Professor Roger L. Worthington, Ph.D., a national leader in diversity education, as Chief Diversity Officer and Interim Associate Provost. In this role, Worthington will work closely with senior leaders, faculty, staff, students and external constituencies to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and respect as core institutional values. He will be a member of the President’s Cabinet, the Provost’s senior staff and the Council of Deans.
“We are very pleased that Dr. Worthington will serve as our Chief Diversity Officer,” said University of Maryland President Wallace D. Loh in a statement. “He is an exceptional scholar-practitioner and leader to guide our University’s efforts to create a more welcoming and inclusive environment for all.”
Since 2014, Worthington has served as professor and chair of the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education in UMD’s College of Education. Prior to arriving at UMD, he rose through the ranks at the University of Missouri from assistant to full professor, and served for nearly six years as the chief diversity officer and assistant deputy chancellor.
“I have dedicated my life’s work to advancing difficult dialogues and creating a culture of inclusion in higher education,” said Worthington. “The University of Maryland was once a national leader for diversity in higher education. In the face of tremendous tragedy, we can come together as a community to achieve transformational change and return to being a model of equity and social justice. I am honored to serve in the role of CDO at UMD.”
Roger L. Worthington received his doctorate in counseling psychology from UC Santa Barbara in 1995. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association with scholarship focused on diversity in higher education, multicultural counseling competencies, sexual identity development, and difficult dialogues teaching and learning. Worthington was a founding member of the board of directors for the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (2006-2011). He was the recipient of three prestigious grants from the Ford Foundation Difficult Dialogues Initiative (2006-2011) and he was the founding chair of the board of directors for the emerging Difficult Dialogues National Resource Center (2012-2015). He is currently the editor of the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education.